Aubergine 'Black Beauty' - Seeds - Heirloom and proven beauty

The 'Black Beauty' eggplant is the absolute and undisputed classic among dark-fleshed eggplants. This historic, open-pollinated variety produces impressively large, teardrop- to bell-shaped fruits with a deep purple, almost black, and highly glossy skin. Its creamy, firm flesh has a mild, slightly nutty flavor, providing rich yields for the Mediterranean summer kitchen. Due to its reliability and excellent fruit quality, it remains one of the most popular varieties for home gardens worldwide to this day.

Scope of delivery: 10 seeds each

Sowing at a glance

Pre-cultivation (indoors)	Late February to late March (preferably earlier if possible)
Planting out (outdoors)	From mid-May (after the Ice Saints)
Sowing depth	0.5-1 cm
Germination temperature	25 to 28 degrees Celsius
Germination period	10 to 21 days

'Black Beauty' grows as a bushy, upright subshrub, reaching a height of about 70 to 90 cm. As an extremely heat-loving nightshade plant, it absolutely requires the warmest and sunniest spot in the garden—ideal for cultivation in a greenhouse, polytunnel, or against a very sheltered, south-facing wall. The soil must be loose, deep, and extremely nutrient-rich. As a classic heavy feeder, the plant benefits from a generous amount of compost during planting and regular, potassium-rich fertilization during flowering and fruit set. Since the massive fruits become very heavy, the stems must be tied to stakes in time to prevent the branches from breaking.

For eggplants, harvest ripeness is not determined by the final size, but exclusively by the gloss of the skin. Harvest while the skin is deep dark and intensely glossy, and the fruit gives slightly under light pressure. If the skin becomes dull or turns slightly brownish, the fruit is overripe—the seeds will then become hard and the flesh will tend to be bitter. Always harvest with sharp scissors to avoid damaging the shoots. 'Black Beauty' is a culinary all-rounder: perfect for hearty moussaka, ratatouille, grilling in thick slices, or halved and stuffed from the oven.

This tradition-steeped variety was introduced in the USA around 1902. It quickly caught on due to its gargantuan fruit size for the time and its excellent, mild flavor, displacing many older breeds. It is considered a breeding milestone and the ancestor of many modern eggplant hybrids.